Hydropneumatic wheel.



H. OUDINOT & 0. PUTOIS.

HYDROPNEUMATIG WHEEL.

I APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 15, 1908.

Patented'June 8, 190,9.

H. OUDILTOT & G. PUTOIS. HYDROPNEUMQEATIG WHEEL. urmouxon mum mm: 15,1903. 923,881. Patented June 8,1909. 2 sums-sum a.

Wihaes S qg HENRI OUDINOTAND CHARLES PI TOIS. Ol" PARIS, FRANFE.

HYDROPNEUMATIG WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1909.

Application filed June 15, 1908. Serial No. 438,691.

T all whom it may concern: 7 Be it known that we, HENRI ()L'DINOT, Duede Reggio, and CHARLES Pu'rois, citi- Zens of the French Republic, andresidents of Paris, France, have inventedanew and useful Improvements inHydropneumatic Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to hydropneumatic wheels, that is to say,to wheelsin which the pressure exerted by the mm'able s okes istransmitted to an air-clnnnber h Lucia s of a liquid contained in thehollow The hydropneumatic wheel is shown in the annexed drawings, by wayof example, in Figure 1 in a side view, parts of the wheel beingrepresented broken away. Fig. 2 is a section of the Wheel taken throughthe axis of a spoke. Figs. 3 to 5 representconstructional details.

The] hub of the wheel is hollow and filled with a suitable liquid. Thehubjurther contains an air chamber of comparatively small size; thespokes have the form of pistons which are adapted to penetrate into theliquid contained in the hollow hub; the spokes are connected at theirfree ends, on the one hand by an auxiliary rigid folly, and on the otherhand by an articulated tread. The cupshaped hub, which is mounted onaxle a, is closed by a cover plate 0; it incloses between its two partsI) and c the air-chamber d which may be filled withair under pressure bymeans of a valve 0; a valve f serves for filling the liquid into thehub. .As many..- tubes 9 as there are to be spokes are mounted on the.eriphery of the hub at uniform intervals. ach of said tubes 9 has acylinder h which is'arranged so that its inner threaded end 6 projectsinto the hub. The outer end of each cylinder h is inclosed between theparts 7c and Z of the auxiliary felly, said parts eing securelyconnected by means of a counterplate m. Each cylinder h has a piston nwhose rod terminates at its outer end in a shoe 0.

The present invention relatesparticularly to the constructional detailsof the wheel with a view to obtain absolute tightness. For this purposethe center part p of the hub has a flange g which corresponds with thecollar of the cover plate 0. The joint is completed by two washers r ands of leather, hemp or the like,- a nut t and a counter nut u. Thetightness of the periphery of the hub is secured by as many bolts w asthere are spokes. -To prevent the bolts from taking cover plate c has aninner flange .1' which is of the same diameter as the flange of huh 7)against which it bears It is obvious, that any of the well known meansand devices may be used for preventing the nuts t, 'u and the bolts 20from getting loose, so that there only remains to secure the tightnessof the pistons. With this object in View, a tubular piece g, which formsthe piston, is screwed on the upper or inner screwthreaded end of thecorresponding piston rod n and a bag, of india-ruhber tissue is fixed onthe piston y. This bag is shown in Fig. 2 in inoperative position and inFig. 4 ='1n the stretched position which it assumes when the piston haspenetrated into the hub.

This india-rubber bag comprises a central rod 2 which is guided in thehollow piston g and it is fixed upon the inner threaded end 2'- of-itscylinder h by means of a clamping ring 3, or in any other suitablemanner; the tightness of this joint is secured to the threads i. Thefolds 4 of bag 2, Figs. 1 and 2, are obtained in any suitable manner andcalcu lated so that said bag may stretch to assume the position shown111 Fig. 4, without submitting the india-rubbcr to unnecessary tension,whereby the durability of the device becomes almost unlimited. Further,metal rings 5, which are conveniently covered with fabric, are mountedin the inner surface of the india-rubber bag for diminishing thea-dherence of saidbag to its piston 1 By the tying up at 3 the tightnessof the hollow hub at the places of the pistons is absolutely secured,the free motion of the pistons in the hub not being, impeded in any way.The

rods n are securely guided, on the one hand, by the piston (11 and, onthe other hand, by a cylindrical enlar ement 6 of the rod. Thelubricating is eflected by means of a cylindrical envelop 7 of felt,which is suitably lubricated and arranged between the cyliinlcrs h andtheir piston rods 11. The rotation of the piston rods is prcventcd bymeans of a flattened part 7 being guided between the two parts of thecountcrplate m.

Castor-oil is preferably used for filling the hub, said oil serving alsofor lubricating the cylindrical envelop 7.

The spokes terminate at the outer ends in shoes 0 which have at eachside an eye 8 inclined toward the hub and adapt-ed to reccive a bolt 9.Two adjacent bolts) are 1 part in the shearing, the inner surface of thetilt ' connected by means of a link 10. The shoes skidding of the wheel,their points 16 beingconveniently riveted, bifurcated etc. There couldfurther be used larger rivets 17 for preventing the skidding of thewheel. (See Fig. 5).

What we claim is A hydropneumatic wheel comprising in combination ahollow hub consisting of a cupshaped part filled with castor oil and ofa cover plate tightly fixed upon said cupshaped part, an air-chamber insaid hollow cup, valves for filling the air-chamber and the hollow hub,cylinders fixed in the periphery of the hub at uniform intervals, and

screivthreaded inner ends of said cylinders, v

india-rubber bags in form of bellows tied upon the threaded end of thecorresponding cylinder, means for strengthening said 1diarubber bags,the spokes in form of pistons mounted in said cylinders and adapted topenetrate into the hollow hub, said pistons having a tubular inner endpart, a guide rod fixed to the bag and engaging with the hollow pistonof the corresponding cylinder, a lubricating envelop between thecylinder and the piston rod, an auxiliary felly rigidly connecting theends of the piston cylinders, shoes at the outer ends of the pistonrods, india-rubber treads fixed to said shoes and links for connectingthe several treads, substantially as described and shown and for thepurpose set forth.

HENRI OUDINOT.

CHARLES PUTOIS.

Witnesses:

DEAN B. MAsoN, ALFRED Fran.

